Valentine Blues
by wingsofseyfert12
Summary: A life spent feeling empty. Pixels and the virtual world seem only to numb the pain. When one lost the love he cherished, life seems to lose all cheer. Yet, maybe on this night of love, he might reclaim what he once lost. One-shot.


Disclaimer: All rights to the name "Lucky Star" belong solely to Kagami Yoshimizu. I neither own this franchise nor do I profit from the writing of this story.

Author's Note: Been a while since I have written a "Lucky Star" story. Just been checking up on the website and felt the itch to write another fic for this series so here you go. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

"I-I have never done this before and I don't think I will be good b-but...will you have me?"

Soujiro stared hard into the screen as he once again came to his favorite part of any dating sim...the sex scene. As with most of these games, padding through the story while trying to impress and have sex with each of the virtual gals was key. Soujiro prided himself in having "sex" with all the girls in one play through.

Except this game.

The girl in the screen was cute; a seventeen year old senior with long, violet hair, piercing red eyes and totally naked.

She also happened to be the most difficult girl to have sex with in the game. You were only given two chances in the entire game AND you could not be caught hanging out with her by the other females as this particular virtual gal was shy and would run away from conflict.

But Soujiro was now proud of the fact that he managed to take the panties off the elusive girl and that by doing the dirty with her, he would FINALLy have had sex with all the virtual gals in this game in one play through.

The game proceeded as Soujiro selected the (obvious) answer and started to go through the scene.

Perhaps it is best that we do not go into explicit detail as to what happened next, but five minutes later, Soujiro found himself panting very hard as he felt himself release into his hand (which, thankfully, had some tissue).

"Congratulations! *****-chan has decided to be your girlfriend!"

Soujiro took a couple of minutes to let the exhilaration pass before staring back into the screen.

Empty.

This always happened once he finished these sessions. He would masturbate like no tomorrow as he watched the pixelated gal before him undress and do all sorts of naughty things to herself. Yet, when it was finally over, he always felt empty inside.

"I guess I'll have to buy a new game." thought Soujiro dejectedly as he opted to save his game and turn off his computer.

He threw the used tissue into the wastebasket next to his desktop before proceeding to clean himself up, then exiting the room.

Soujiro noticed that it was unusually quiet around the house and wondered if Konata had come home from school.

As if to answer his question, his phone vibed in his pocket. Soujiro promptly took it out of his sweat pockets and read the text message.

"Hey dad, going 2 stay at Kagz 2-nite. Her parents sed it waz alrite. C U 2-morow!

With that, the text ended as Soujiro slapped his phone shut.

How could he have forgotten that Konata was going to the Hiiragi's? She had been telling him the entire week that she was going to study...or knowing his daughter, she was going to goof off and copy everyones answers once they were done.

That girl. Sometimes, he wished he could firmer, be more of a parental figure and instill some work ethic into her. Yet he did not have the gall to do so. He could not stand the thought of his Konata getting upset with him. Just thinking about it made him shudder. How Hiiragi was able to discipline his children without fear of retribution was beyond him.

Knowing that he needed to get some essentials, Soujiro promptly left his house so that he could some needed groceries.

"Oh stop that already, we're in public!"

"I can't help it. I love you so much that I just want to hold you tight!"

Soujiro turned around to find a couple practically attached to each other. Soujiro did his best to ignore them and promptly continued down the street.

More giggling.

Soujiro turned around and saw another couple plastered together and Soujiro did his best to ignore them and entered the store to his right.

The store covered in Valentines decor reminded Soujiro as to why there were so many obnoxious couples strolling the street. Wanting to get out of there before the lovey doveiness drove him crazy, Soujiro promptly bought a box of tissues and other toiletries before making an about face to the counter, paid his groceries and made to his house in prompt order.

Soujiro managed to get into his house as he threw the groceries on the table. He sat down on the sofa as he looked at the calender.

It was the 12th of Febuary, only two days until Valentines. While he did not hate the love birds strolling down the streets and being awfully chummy, he could not help but feel miserable. Seeing thsoe young couples painfully reminded him of his wife.

He began to reminisce how they spent time together and that even being in her company made him so happy and complete. Even anime and anything otaku was no longer a priority to Soujiro when he was with Kanata.

He had always wanted to be a free lance writer. The reason for this was because he could have a flexible schedule and enjoy his hobbies with little interruption.

Yet, with Kanata, he knew that having such a inconsistent work career would not cut it. Their first year of their marriage, he applied as dock grunt just outside the Saitama Prefecture. He was hired and he often had to commute an hour to the port, where he worked in hauling in fish and processing. His work schedule was from five in the morning until one in the afternoon at six days a week. He often had to rise at four in the morning, just to make it on time.

While working, he had no time for his hobbies yet he did not care. He often returned home and was happy to spend time with his wife. She would welcome him home with a smile and no matter how tired or frustrated he was at work, he would feel instantly better when seeing his wife. All his time went into taking care of his wife and working. There was no time for anything otaku and Soujiro could care less.

When he had heard that Kanata was pregnant with their first child, Soujiro could not help but feel utter pride. While he told Kanata that he did not care if the infant was a boy or a girl, he secretly wished it was a girl. This was unusual, since men often wanted sons, but not he. The thought of having another woman in the family that would love him like Kanata was something like a dream come true for him.

So he worked hard and started to put think seriously of his child's future. He vowed that she would not pick up his bad habits. She would grow up to be smart, and serious in her academics. He wanted her to succeed where he didn't. She would get into a great career and make something for herself and he would do everything in his power to make that happen for her.

When Konata was born, Soujiro was overjoyed to find out that she was a girl. As he saw his wife lying down on the hospital bed with the baby, Soujiro could not help but feel such overwhelming love for them both.

Life was good for him but it would come all crashing down.

It had started with little things, like Kanata tiring easily and losing a bit of her appetite. At first, Soujiro just figured that she was feeling a bit under the weather and he took to not only working but doing the household chores. Anything for his wife and child.

But Kanata's condition worsened and there came a point where she no longer had the strength to leave bed. A doctor's visit confirmed that his wife was suffering from Lupus and that she was already in its advanced state. She would only have weeks to live.

Soujiro did not want to think of that. He roared at the doctor, telling him to get out as Soujiro did everything he could to take care of his wife. Surely she would get better.

Unfortunately, Kanata did not get better but she always managed to keep a smile. She never complained and she even managed to joke around with her husband, saying that with her gone, he could find time for his otaku hobbies once more.

The day came when she finally did die. Soujiro had gone over to serve her breakfast after feeding Konata that morning only to find that the room was unusually still.

Kanata was there on her bed, still as a statue yet her face was at complete peace. Her eyes were closed as she managed to eek out a small smile to the end.

After her death, Soujiro quickly went into depression. He lost his job at the fish factory near the dock and he moped around all day. He gave Konata over to his parents as he sulked.

He tried to drink his sorrows away, but he was a calm drunk and most of his drunken stupors put him to sleep, where all he dreamed about was Kanata.

He then regressed back to his old hobby.

And that he did. He consumed himself with anime and dating sims, going through show after show and playing dating sim after dating sim.

It worked and Soujiro was soon able to regain some normalcy in his life.

He took custody of Konata once again when she was three and half years old and from then on, he took care of her. Her uncanny appearance to his wife pained him, even to this day, but he bore with the pain as best he could but his old drive was gone.

He worked as a free lance writer once more, giving him plenty of time for his hobbies.

What was worse was that he became apathetic of Konata's parenting. She would walk in on him while he was playing through a dirty scene of a dating sim, and instead of telling her to leave, he would take her into his lap and guide her through the game.

Time passed and Soujiro could see that his daughter, despite looking so much like his deceased wife, was completely different from her. She was the product of his parenting and it showed in her interests, hobbies and unfortunately, her grades.

Soujiro looked up at the clock and found that it was already ten at night.

He started to reflect once more and thought that perhaps he had failed Konata. She wasn't supposed to turn out like this! She was supposed to be studious, hard working and goal oriented. Instead, she was apathetic, a procrastinator and placing her priorities on the wrong things...just like himself.

The dating sims were becoming less and less of a thrill for him nowadays. It seemed that every possible route and sterotype had already been discovered by him a dozen times over. The girls were cute and sexy but they weren't real.

Then it hit him.

The last time he had sex was nearly fifteen years, back when his wife was still healthy.

He was pathetic. It seemed like the only woman that had ever given him a chance was now dead and he was at a loss as to whole he could have another one.

No woman would replace Kanta but for the first time, in a long time, Soujiro desired to hold someone that was real even if it was for one night. Looking up at the clock, barely five minutes had passed. It was a Friday night.

Perhaps he would go out tonight. He knew that the chances of him getting hooked up was less than 1 percent but it was certainly better than just sitting at home and moping.

He soon made his way into the shower so that he could get ready.

* * *

Nanako Kuroi scowled openly as she made her way in the downtown area of Kusakabe. Everywhere she went, there were couples all over the place, openly mocking her as they walked like they were glued together, lips locked and other such stuff.

She hated the Valentines season as it reminded her of her constant failure in getting into a serious relationship.

Nanako Kuroi was here downtown to party, of course it being Friday night and all, but she did not seem to be having much fun due to all the couples walking down the street. The two clubs that she had been at had all been playing sappy, romantic music instead of the rave and techno stuff that she could get herself lost in.

The poor woman was twenty five years old and had a good career as she was teaching at a high school. The job seemed perfect for her. Sure, the work schedule did start a bit earlier than she liked but on the whole, she loved it. The kids were interesting to talk to, she got paid rather decently and, of course, free weekends and a liberal amount of vacations were neat as well.

To the many people that would see her, they saw a rather energetic young woman who was making a headway into the adult world and finding her niche. She was vibrant, beautiful and full of energy and she nearly always had smile on her face.

Unfortunately, not many people would know that this woman was miserable on the inside.

It seemed that she could not get into a decent relationship. Her last one took place her freshman year in college and even then, she felt nothing in it. The guy she went out with was a boy toy; an attractive, fun guy to hang out with but was as smart as the dumbbells he lifted.

They lasted about four months before breaking up.

Ever since the, Nanako Kuroi just could not, for the life of her, find someone to go out with.

At first, she thought that everyone was so busy in college that they could not afford to have relationships and this was understandable.

When she graduated and got her job teaching, she figured that she would find a nice, young man who would start teaching as well and the two of them would hit it off. Her fantasy often included a stunning, young man fresh from college starting on his teaching career and she would be there to guide him. Together, they would find out that they loved spending time with each other, then they would go out on dates before he would work out the nerve to ask her hand in marriage. It was sweet and romantic.

Reality did not conform to Kuroi's romantic fantasies.

She found out that most of the men teaching were already married and the ones who WERE single were single for a reason. They were often ugly (and I mean ugly...Nanako prided herself in not being too choosy but those guys were just beyond redemption), obnoxious (as in never shuts up, even when he has food in his mouth) or just plain creepy (often staring at the girls during their PE time and not paying poor Nanako any attention whatsoever).

What the blonde often did in times like these was go out and get wasted.

Sometimes, she would be in a strangers house afterward, most times in their bed. That, or she would be at home with some stranger on HER bed. Either way, Nanako Kuroi certainly had many passionate and intimate moments with men, but most of these were just one-night stands used to satisfy the urges of either party.

Nanako Kuroi often looked at herself and wondered if that was all she was good for. Just a good looking broad that was wild and easy to get in bed with but not relationship material.

She would often shake these thoughts from her head and let herself be content. She felt good during these times, why stop?

Of course, Valentines often came and reminded her of the other alternative. To have someone there to love and cherish you despite your habits or the body you possessed. An alternative that she had no access to for whatever reason.

Nanako Kuroi scowled at herself for thinking such thoughts. Fridays were meant for fun, not for moping around. She soon proceeded down the street and made her way into a bar.

* * *

Soujiro Izumi had spent the last two hours here in the same bar.

While he should have been out and about, most of the clubs, to his disgust, were playing lovey dovey mushy stuff. He made his way into this bar, as it had some music other than romantic stuff, and sat down and drank.

Of course he tried to talk to some women in the bar, but he was too afraid. When he DID finally summon the courage, he was either shot down or threatened by a nearby boyfriend that sent Soujiro scurrying away with his tail between his legs.

Things were not going so good and the only thing Soujiro could think about was all the money he was spending drinking when he could be using this money to buy something else...like an H-Game!

He was sitting on his stool in the bar area and was contemplating as to whether coming out tonight was a good idea when he felt someone suddenly sit next to him.

"Get me the cheapest draft you guys got."

"She sounds so familiar." thought Soujiro as the woman's voice got his attention.

He turned around to see her and was rather surprised at what he saw.

The blond hair, the green eyes and the delectable figure. There was no mistaken it.

It was Nanako Kuroi, Konata's homeroom teacher.

Soujiro wondered what she was doing here, or for that matter, why she was wearing what she was wearing. She wore a red, one piece dress with the skirt ending about three inches from her knees. It was long enough to that she didn't trashy yet short enough to show off her rather nice legs. He looked up to find that her dress was very form fitting, showing off the teacher's curves while showing a nice bit of cleavage.

Now, Soujiro preferred small, meek looking women but he could not deny that Nanako Kuroi was looking really hot. Knowing that he could not pass this opportunity up, he soon ventured to place his hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, aren't you Nanako Kuroi, homeroom teacher for class 3-B?" asked Soujiro.

The woman turned around to face Soujiro before answering.

"Yes, I am. Wait a second! I know you! Aren't you Izumi's father?" asked Nanako.

"Correct you are. Remember we met about a couple of weeks ago during parent-teacher night?" smiled Soujiro.

"Of course I remember. I remember telling you that if Konata does not shape up soon then she might find herself having to repeat her second year." said Nanako with a serious voice all of all sudden.

"Oh, yes, of course." replied Soujiro nervously.

"I'm surprised you are here. From what your daughter tells me, you hardly leave the house unless you go to work or shop. What brings you here today?" asked Nanako as she took a drink of the draft beer she was served.

"Konata's over at the Hiiragi's tonight. She told me that she was going to study or something." replied Soujiro.

"By that, you mean that she is going to just skim answers from her classmates, am I not right?" asked Nanako once again.

"I...I would hope not, that she would go over to seriously study." said Soujiro, giving his daughter the benefit of the doubt but knowing that the teacher's words were probably true.

"Look, Mr. Izumi-"

"Call me Soujiro."

"Okay then, Soujiro, you have to understand. Your daughter is really not doing great in her classes. She is barely passing and she seems to be ignorant of the fact that her grades now determine where her career goes. In fact, I will go so far as to say that she doesn't care. Now, Mr-umm-Soujiro, I need to make it clear to you that she cannot continue going on the way she is. I hope that as her father you would make her understand." said Nanako as she held her glass of beer, tipping it with her fingers.

"I know what you are saying but it seems that I cannot bring myself to admonish Konata sometimes. I don't want to say that I'm scared but I do hate conflict and I cannot bear the thought of my only daughter getting angry at me." said Soujiro.

Nanako raised her eyebrow a bit as she heard this. Though she did not like to bring work in during her fun time, she could not help but feel curious. She prodded further.

"If you cannot do it, then have your wife do it then. Whatever it takes to get that girl to under-"

"I-I'm sorry but my wife would not be able to do that." said Soujiro.

Now Nanako was really curious. While she did not like to pry into other people's business, she could not help but feel compelled to know more.

"Why is that? Are you divorced from her?" asked Nanako curiously.

"No. She...passed away a long time ago." said Soujiro heavily.

At once Nanako was shocked. She did not know this about Konata, or her family in general. As she looked at the man beside her, she could tell that he was clearly distraught having brought up his wife. How tactless of her!

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. You didn't know so I am not angry at you. Besides, I figured that kinda have to know these things about your students to, you know, help them better." said Soujiro sadly.

"Do you miss her?" asked Nanako before she suddenly slapped herself mentally. What a terrible thing to ask! Obviously the man before her was still suffering and yet she had the gall to bring up such a stupid question.

Soujiro, meanwhile, was rather touched that someone was concerned and interested in what he had to say. The topic of his wife was something he told no one about other than his parents. Yet, having festered it for so long has drained him and now, he needed to let it out of his chest...to pour out his feelings even if it was his daughter's teacher.

"Yes, I do miss her. It has been nearly fifteen years since she has died and not one day passes that I don't think about her. Sometimes, I wonder what she saw in me, considering that all I am is some geek with a lolita complex, yet she gave me a chance. I had plans for the future and I did everything in my power to take care of her. When Konata was born, I was the happiest man alive. I vowed to my wife that I would make Konata successful. She would be smart, on task and well-mannered. I wanted her to have good grades, to be involved in clubs and to go to a good college so that she could get a head start in the adult world. Yet, ever since my wife died, it seems that everything that was good and happy has gone now. I live only so that I can care for Konata and even with that, I have screwed up. My daughter is on the verge of being retained and STILL I don't do anything about it. I tell myself that she will straighten out soon yet all I do is enable her. Perhaps this is what I truly want. To have my daughter fail so that she would always have to stay and rely on me for support. If Konata were to leave then there is nothing for me...nothing at all. Maybe I'm just a selfish bastard after all." said Soujiro sadly as he took a big swig of beer after finishing his narrative.

Nanako Kuroi could not help but feel for the man next to her. Here she thought SHE was miserable just because she didn't have a husband but this man. To have found the love of your life, the person that you would give your soul, heart and life for, and have that person snatched away from you was just too cruel. Nanako already began to feel her eyes sting a bit for the pity she felt for this man. Scolding him over Konata's grades seemed so trivial now.

"What about you, Ms. Kuroi? Thought about marriage or are you already married?" asked Soujiro.

"S-Sure I have thought of marriage but it seems that..."

"That what? What's wrong?" asked Soujiro in concern.

"It's just that it seems that no one is interested in me like that. Sure, I come here, have fun and either go home smashed or in the sack with some random yahoo and then sleep in Sunday. Then I go to work for the school week and once the weekend comes around, rinse and repeat. I-I mean, it seems like an endless cycle. Its the same crap week in and week out and now it feels so pointless. I want someone to actually LOVE me, to tell me that I'm beautiful, to come in from work and say 'Honey I'm home!' while I prepare a good meal for him. I must sound really corny right now, aren't I?" asked Nanako sadly.

"On the contrary, you sound just like me when I was younger Ms. Kuroi." said Soujiro.

"Call me Nanako. We are here as two adults after all." said Nanako.

"Sure thing. As I said, you remind me of myself when I was younger. I remember when I was young that I would be the total geek. I was up to date in all the manga and animes. I would attend the Comic-Kets, I would buy dolls, I would buy wall scrolls and I played dating sims like no tomorrow. Yet, I always wished for that one day, some special someone would come into my life. I would love her, take care of her and work hard to make sure that she had everything she needed. She came into my life and everything that I used to cherish seemed pointless. Sure, my wife died sooner that I wanted but I am still grateful that she came into my life. Do not give up. There will be one day when a man will come to you and cherish you, that you will be his everything and come home and say 'Nanako, I love you.' " said Soujiro.

Hearing these words come from Soujiro's mouth seemed to have set something off in Nanako as she suddenly felt herself sobbing loudly on Soujiro's shoulder. The bar keeper looked at her wierd but passed off as her having a bit too much and left it at that.

Soujiro was rather surprised at the outburst and even moreso as she placed herself on his chest. It felt...nice. Too long had it been since the last time a living, breathing woman other than his daughter made contact with his body. Instinctively, Soujiro started to coo her as he stroked her hair. It was like silk to his fingers.

"Hey there, I didn't want you to blow up on me like that. If anything, I should be the one crying. After all, I am the one with the dead wife." said Soujiro light heartily in an attempt to make Nanako feel better.

Nanako Kuroi didn't say anything as she just continued to sob, letting Soujiro comfort her. For once, she didn't want to get home all krunk. She didn't want to end up in a stranger's house for a one night stand that she wouldn't even remember. For once, all she wanted was to feel loved and have someone hold her tight, even if it was coming from Konata's father.

Eventually, she pulled herself away and started to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't h-have done that." said Nanako as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"It's okay. Sometimes, we have to let these things out. If not, you start to become a reclusive, wierd and creepy, like I am." said Soujiro.

Nanako smiled at Soujiro's jest as she got up and straightened herself.

"You know, that has been the best talk I have had in a long time. For once, I feel like going home sober and just chill out. Besides, it wasn't going to be much fun out here anyway due to all the love birds out here. So...thank you, I really mean it." said Nanako as she got up.

"Your welcome, and know that I too feel thankful towards you for listening to an old man like me rant for the better part of an hour." said Soujiro.

"Nah, its no problem. Believe me, kids come to me all the time with their sob stories so I'm used to it. Anyway, I better get going before the love birds clog the streets!" said Nanako with a smile.

Soujiro thought about letting her leave but now, he was just beginning to enjoy himself and it was too soon for that feeling to go away. So he did something that he hasn't done since his college days.

"Nanako, wait!" said Soujiro.

"What's up?" asked Nanako.

"What do you say we get a bite to eat? I heard its dangerous to drink on an empty stomach after all!" said Soujiro happily.

"You asking me out to a date?" asked Nanako playfully.

"What if I am?" asked Soujiro.

"Sure...why not? I'm starving anyway and I won't pass up a good meal, especially if it is being paid for!" replied Nanako happily.

Soujiro smiled as he got up and made his way next to Nanako.

"Let's go then!" said Soujiro cheerfully as they made their way outside.

There was a restaurant not too far so they walked and as they did, Soujiro felt a slender arm loop around his and felt Nanako place her body close to his.

Perhaps things would get better after all and for the first time since Kanata's death, Soujiro felt whole and complete.

* * *

Author's Note: Possible Nanako/Soujiro romance? I don't know as this is intended to just be a one shot. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the story!


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